1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light guide device having multi-channels. More particularly, the incident lights at a predetermined angle will collimate in a form of a parallel light beam. Either one of an independent collimating means or a combined condensing means with the collimating means for connecting the parallel incident beams from its front will be selectively arranged to form an optical module. Each optical module will correspond one-by-one. The incident light beams from the optical module will be totally reflected to form its own light passages (also called “channels”). Accordingly, a light guide device of the present invention will simultaneously advance the multiple rays of light forwarding to a specifically intended direction. Specifically, the light guide device of the present invention is comprised of: a first horizontal reflection unit for totally reflecting the light beams from left to right, or front-side to rear-side; a first vertical reflection unit formed at the same height as the first horizontal reflection unit and separated by the unique distance, which is different from each other, for totally reflecting upward and downward the light rays incident from the first horizontal reflection unit; a second horizontal reflection unit corresponding, to the first vertical reflection unit one-to-one for totally reflecting the light beams from front-to-rear or left-to-right, incident from the first vertical reflection unit; and multiple light beams being incident front-to-rear from the second horizontal reflection unit through the light channel module formed with the second horizontal reflection unit will not be disturbed by the optical module, the first horizontal reflection unit, the first vertical reflection unit, or the second horizontal reflection unit. Each unit will form its own independent channel. At the same time, a large number of the optical lights will travel in its own light passage of the specific directions: front-to-rear, left-to-right, and upward-to-downward. The plain type of the present light guide device is arranged with a plurality of the optical modules for totally reflecting the incident lights at a predetermined angle to the specific direction. The present light guide device has merits to efficiently utilize the incident light beams, to increase the space utilization, to reduce the product cost, and is easy to handle, etc.
2. Related Prior Art
Generally, the solar energy can be converted to a form of light-work, such as when: the solar generation utilizes the solar energy to produce electricity; the solar energy collector and solar cell panels absorb the solar energy to generate hot water and to provide home heating; the natural day-light module or the light reflective panel utilize the solar energy to take advantage of photo-catalytic solar day lighting or photovoltaic plant-growth lighting or illumination.
In order to utilize the solar energy, the solar energy collector is essential for condensing the solar energy. The solar energy collector is used for the solar generator, the natural day-light module, and the solar cell panels, etc. The efficiency of the solar energy condensing device is directly related to the efficiency of the solar energy utilization.
The solar energy condensing device is classified as the Point Focus Dish Type, Point Focus Fresnel Lens Type, Linear Concentrating Fresnel Lens Type, and Heliostat Type/Gregorian/Cass-grain. Some solar concentrator device uses a holographic prism sheet condenser. The solar energy condensing device adopts the principle of optics and ultimately employs the condensing lens and condensing mirror.
The aforementioned conventional solar energy concentrator requires a large scale of structures to increase their capacity of the solar energy accumulation. For increasing the capacity of the solar generation, solar energy collection, or day-light collection, the facility of the solar energy concentration is inevitably growing in a larger structure. Therefore, the construction cost will increase, so that it is difficult to expect the economical benefit comparing the investment.
Accordingly, it is essential to develop the technology of the solar energy concentration having the maximum efficiency with the minimum collecting area in order to have the economical benefits compared to the investments.
There are a number of light guide devices for concentrating the solar energy or natural daylight, which has been previously published. However, the conventional device has a lot of problems to concentrate the incident light beams from front-to-side, and it has low efficiency.
A conventional light guide device known as a typical technology for concentrating solar energy was published in the Japanese Patent No. 2000-147262.
FIG. 8 shows a conventional light beam receiver (20). A plurality of optical transmitting layer (24, 34, 44) is transmitted the solar beams (45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100) downward. An optical deflector (28, 38, 48) is disposed under the optical transmitting layer. The optical deflector is the same size as the optical transmitting layer, and the solar cells have arranged oppositely at both ends of the optical transport layer lengthwise. The bottom surface of the optical deflector has formed a continuously serrated shape so that the light reflector (50) can be installed on its entire surface.
The solar beam permeates through the optical transmitting layer from the light beam receiver and totally reflects the solar beams coming from the serrated surface of the optical reflector to the incident angle being below the critical angle, or retransmitting to the optical transmitting layer for the repeating reflection within the optical transmitting layer. Finally, the solar beam transmits to the solar cells.
The conventional method described above has a disadvantage that the travel distance of the beam is prolonged depending on the beam incident angle and the number of reflections. Due to this disadvantage, the beam will decay out and be lost. Further, it forms a double structural layer of the optical transmitting layer and optical reflecting layer. Due to the complicated structure, the manufacturing cost will be relatively high. Also, the conventional device of the structure has a weak point for direct sunlight. If the sunlight has a vertical incident angle, then the reflecting rate will be lower.
Another conventional light guide device for concentrating the solar energy is shown in the U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010-0024805.
As shown in FIG. 9, a conventional solar beam concentration devise (900) has disclosed for concentrating the solar beam through the collecting lens. Then, the concentrated solar beam (750) is transmitted through the elements (754) of beam receiver (752) to the light wafer sheet (726) connected to the cross-sectional unit (910) for total reflection on the surface of the light wafer sheet. The concentrated solar beam (930) is passing through the channel? (726).
The second example of the light guide device is employing more than two optical collecting lenses for concentrating the solar beam. However, it has multiple sheets of the light transmitting membranes with a complicated structure. Due to the reflection in the complicated structure and the multiple light transmitting membranes, this device has a disadvantage to lose the concentrated beams. It will be especially complicated and expensive for the design of the critical reflecting angles to reflect the solar beam on the entire surface of the light transmitting membranes. Because the concentrated solar beam is not parallel, it is difficult to focus on one point, and the focus will be large. Therefore, the less expensive light guide device is required.
The third example, Korean Patent No. 933213 is published to show a conventional light guide device for concentrating the solar energy.
As shown in FIG. 10, another conventional light guide device comprises a collecting lens unit (100) forming a number of the convex lenses (110) for collecting the solar beams (111) on its upper surface, and the groove unit (120) is formed to correspond to the collecting lens on the lower surface of the collecting lens unit. The groove unit (120) has formed a conical shape at one side (122) and other side (121) designed not to permeate the reflected solar beams. Also, a number of the groove units (120) have formed the conical shape to be located on the axis of the optical focus (F1) of the collecting lens unit (110). Therefore, the optical focus of the collecting lens unit lies on the optical focus of the conical shape within a limited space. Accordingly, the solar beams transmitted to the collecting lens unit are collected on a focus of the collecting lens. Then, it will be reflected by the surface of the conical shape. Finally, the concentrated solar beams are collected on the surface of the solar cells.
However, the third example of the conventional device also has problems. Even though the device employs the collecting lens, the solar beams being collected by the collecting lens unit are not parallel. Therefore, this device has the same problems as the second conventional device. The conical surfaces require precise design and manufacturing. Thus, the cost of design and manufacturing of the conical surfaces of the groove units is expensive. Furthermore, the conical surfaces of the groove units have no compatibility, and so it is not an economical device.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the inventor of the present invention improves the solar energy concentrating device to make it a compact size and to arrange multiple arrays. The present device tracks the solar azimuth and the elevation angles, simultaneously. The transmitted solar beams are guided by the blinder to travel in parallel.
The present inventor has invented and published the Korean Patent No. 10-2009-0129310, which discloses the dual axis as having a solar tracking capability combined with a blinder applied to the solar energy generator, and the Korean Patent No. 10-2010-0000007, which discloses the dual axis solar tracking vertical hydro-blinder. The above patents are related to the improvement of the efficiency of the solar energy concentrating device for guiding the transmitted solar beam to be parallel by the dual axis of the solar tracking device. The third Korean Patent No. 10-2010-0004153 discloses the lateral solar energy concentrating device being applied to the dual axis of the solar tracking device. It has multiple solar beam-collecting units and reflecting units, which arrange the multiple beam collecting modules of the lenses and mirrors to collect the transmitted solar beams from the front. In order to improve the efficiency of the solar energy concentrating device, the solar beam collector has a lateral unit at either side below or above the solar beam concentrating unit. The purpose of this lateral unit is to make an initial transmission of the solar beam, and to reflect the first transmitted solar beam through the reflecting unit to the lateral unit, which then concentrates the solar beams. The fourth Korean Patent No. 10-2010-6250 discloses the hybrid prism solar energy concentrating device as a device that has multiple reflecting units on both the upper and the lower surfaces of the collecting units. This reduces the thickness of the solar energy concentrating device and provides a gradual concentrating and lateral solar beam collecting capability. The fifth Korean Patent No. 10-2010-0006756 discloses the prism solar energy concentrating device for maximizing the efficiency of the solar energy concentrating units and reducing the production cost to be economical versus the investments.
As described above, the present invention is provided to solve the problems in the conventional technology. The main objective of the present invention is to develop the light guide device adopting the Channel Prism for remarkably shortening the light traveling distance, when the solar beam transmits to the lateral concentrating device from the front.